How much heat is generated by a boiler?

confusedHO

I am considering installing a new boiler unit close to a hydronic baseboard unit in an otherwise unheated basement. I am wondering if I should remove the baseboard unit because when the boiler is operating it will be generating heat. My question is how much heat? If I am getting about 3000 BTU/hr from the baseboard and if I install the boiler at that location and remove the baseboard unit how many BTU/hr can I expect to have in that location? I plan to insulate all of the pipes so I only want to consider how much heat the 40000 BTU/hr boiler will generate that will go into the surrounding air. I have heard estimates from 'very little heat loss' to 'close to the amount from the baseboard unit'. All boilers are probably different. Is there any way to tell other than to just install it and measure how hot it is?

rick in Alaska

Gonna depend on how well insulated the boiler is. And how the boiler is manufactured will also dictate that. Boilers that have a cast iron front burner mount without insulation will put off quite a bit of heat, much like a panel radiator. And boilers that only have 1" of insulation compared to boilers that have 3", will give off more heat. Hard to tell how yours will do in your situation.
Rick

Tim McElwain

What make of boiler are you considering? Is it a cast iron sit on the floor model or is it going to be a wall hung unit? Most boilers today are fairly well insulated so they do not give off the jacket losses that older boilers did. You may be better off leaving the baseboard.

confusedHO

Thanks "rick in Alaska". I am trying to get more information on how well insulated the boiler is.

confusedHO

Thanks "Tim McElwain". The boilers I am looking at are the Crown CWD060 and the U.S. Boilers ESC-3. Both are sit on the floor models. Crown said their unit will emit minimal heat. I am sending a question to Burnham about the ESC-3.

Tim McElwain

The ESC gives off very little heat in fact I would say less than the Crown.

confusedHO

Thanks, Tim. My conclusion is that I shouldn't be removing the baseboard unit. When the new system is installed I may end up feeling that a 5' baseboard unit would be better than the 6' unit but probably not that a 3' unit would be better than the 6' unit. I will not remove the 6' unit at this time. Next year if I find that I have way too much heat I will consider changing to a smaller baseboard unit.

confusedHO

Thanks. Good idea.

Bob Bona_4

Or just put tin foil over a foot of the fins or whatever you want to reduce the output. No regrets that way

confusedHO

Good point.